Media-wise, 2024 hasn’t been the easiest season for Charles Leclerc. Apart from his Monaco GP victory, Carlos Sainz is on par with him, if not better. Moreover, Ferrari signing Lewis Hamilton for 2025 is a statement of intent, indicating he might one-up Sainz’s heroics. This has put Leclerc in a tough spot, having to answer constant questions about comparisons with the 7-time champion. And this is where the Sebastian Vettel flashbacks hit him.

When the Monegasque debuted for Ferrari in 2019, he had the uphill task of upstaging his 4-time champion teammate. Though Leclerc eventually outscored Vettel by 24 points, there were a lot of times he found himself incapable of matching his teammate. Those turned into especially frustrating days. In having Lewis Hamilton as his teammate for 2025 and beyond, Leclerc faces a bigger challenge. The 7-time champion recently told Elle magazine that he has found his “North Star”, declaring, “My 40s will be the best years.”

In an interview with Motorsport, Charles Leclerc was questioned about his assessment of the pressure that comes in two different scenarios: having a teammate with a ‘great CV’ versus having a younger driver alongside. “So far I have never found myself in the shoes of the most experienced, but if I find myself two-tenths behind my teammate… whether it is Lewis or anyone else, makes no difference,” he replied. “I don’t like being behind, and I think it is the same for all the drivers on the grid. You always want to be first, in any situation.”

The Monegasque supplemented his explanation with the example of losing to Vettel in his early Ferrari days. “When I was with Seb, for example, I hated finding myself behind him. I knew it was my first year at Ferrari and that I was competing with a much more experienced teammate, but I thought that was enough of an excuse. As far as I’m concerned, I hate being beaten,” he concluded with a resounding statement.

Judging by Leclerc’s confidence, Hamilton’s 8th championship dream might not come so easy after all. In fact, Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel believes that the Briton might never succeed in his pursuit of the record-breaking attempt.

Lewis Hamilton was Ferrari’s “second choice” to Max Verstappen

Before signing Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur revealed considering Max Verstappen for the Scuderia’s future. “All 10 team managers would be thrilled to have him,” he told Corriere dello Sport, jokingly adding, “but I think he has a contract until 2045.” But there was no serious development on this front because talks with Hamilton had already reached an advanced stage. However, Tom Coronel reckons there was some painful truth in Vasseur’s joke about Verstappen’s contract.

“I’m really looking forward to Lewis at Ferrari. I think it was a masterstroke by Ferrari that they took him, but of course, they would have preferred Max,” Coronel wrote for Formule1.nl. “Ferrari can only become World Champions with Max. They won’t succeed with Hamilton,” he shockingly declared, adding, “He is second choice, but better second than third.” The 2-time Touring Car champion also sent a gloomy prediction the 7-time champion’s way about how he’ll end up losing to Mercedes in the Ferrari.

These are very conflicting times for Hamilton. For over 2 years, Mercedes fumbled the bag and couldn’t even fight for podiums. But 5 months after their talisman announced his exit, the W15 has become quicker than Ferrari’s SF24. Will Frederic Vasseur & Co recover from their downgrade-like upgrades in time for their future star’s arrival? Only time can tell.